


Richard & Me: Onwards

by thatdankhammondlover



Category: Top Gear/The Grand Tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-08-20 03:30:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8234531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatdankhammondlover/pseuds/thatdankhammondlover
Summary: Here is the sequel to my previous series "Richard & Me"If you haven't read the first series I suggest you go looking for it on my AO3 page and read that first, otherwise this won't make any sense to you I'm afraid! xDI will try my hardest to get the chapters written up as soon as possible and get them posted! Apart from that, there's nothing else to say but enjoy! :)





	1. Stressed

  
We had finally finished filming for the day, we were all charismatic about this series, it was going to be a good one and we knew it.  
Though since I was still recovering from my accident, I was constantly told not to work too hard by my parents, friends, family and Richard himself. I didn't consider myself 'still recovering' I was fine, but everyone was always fussing over me, and I constantly got agitated, especially when I went to go and get a coffee and Jeremy butted in.

"Here let me help you with that dear"  
"No Jeremy it's fine"  
"No really let me"  
"Jeremy seriously I'm only pouring myself a cup of coffee for Christ sakes it's okay, stop treating me like a 4 year old!"

I felt bad for snapping at him like that, but he still smiled and left me to it. I felt like crying. I didn't mean to snap at him like that, I've been doing it a lot lately and I don't understand why.  
When I got myself a coffee I went out to find Richard and I saw him outside, just taking in the fresh air. The wind gently blew through his soft brown hair as he stood there with his strong arms folded, smiling gently against the breeze. Oh how I love to see him so persevered in his own thoughts like this.

"Hiya sweetheart" he noticed me, so he put an arm around me and kissed the top of my head gently.  
"Hi handsome" I replied.  
"You okay?"  
"I'm okay I guess"  
He stopped for a minute and studied the look on my face.  
"You're not are you, what's happened?"  
"I snapped at Jeremy again"  
I felt tears threatening to roll down my cheeks.  
"Oh darling don't worry, the big oaf has no feelings" he chuckled.  
"Yeah but, I've been doing it a lot lately, to James and you as well and I don't know why"  
"You're stressed darling, you need to rest. It's not been long since your accident and I know you don't like to frown upon that but you are still recovering remember"  
"But I'm not Richard, I'm perfectly fine"  
"You hearing yourself? You are not okay and I want to help you recover properly" Richard stroked my cheek and wiped a tear away.

I was willing to accept that maybe I wasn't okay, I would never act this way to the man I truly love.

"Look, we have the week off, and for that whole week, I'm going to look after you, stay at my house help you get the rest you need and help you relax yeah?" He insisted.  
"Okay"  
"Thank you"  
"No thank you Richard, I don't deserve you"  
"Yes you do sweetheart, I love you"  
"I love you too"  
He slowly bought my face closer to his and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.  
"Lets go home" he smiled before taking my arm in his.

We reached my house so I could go and pack a few things to take to Richards. I was barely at my house anymore. Daniel my pug had practically moved in Richards house to be with his other friends ages ago, I mostly stayed with Richard anyway. After I had packed my things we took a short drive to Richards. When we arrived he helped bring my bag in and stopped at the front door.

"Look I've been thinking"  
"Yesss?"  
Richard rummaged around his back pocket and pulled out a key.  
"Will you move in with me? Forever? I know it hasn't been that long since we've been together but it seems right"  
I stopped and stared at the key.  
"Really?"  
"I want nothing more than to live with the girl I love"  
"And I want nothing more than to live with the man I find extremely attractive" I smiled.  
"Is that a yes?"  
"Hell yeah!"  
He hugged me tightly and whispered "I love you". I whispered back those very words afterward.

He opened the front door and we walked in, the sudden warmth of the house then bombarded me.  
"I'd forgotten how much I loved this place" I smiled.  
Then all of a sudden, Daniel came running down he hallway, in his ecstatic mood as always.  
"Hello you!" I cooed as I stroked him. After Richard had taken my bag upstairs he came behind me and put an arm around my waist.

"I've missed having you here" he sighed and kissed my neck.  
"You're so sweet" I replied.  
"Lets go watch a film?" He suggested.  
"Yessss!" I said, leading him into the living room in a hurry.

I loved watching films with Richard, all snuggled up with him on the sofa with a fluffy blanket around us, my head on his chest while he played with my hair. The warmth from his body was enough to keep me comfortable.  
We reached the living room and Richard pulled me with him onto the sofa, we giggled uncontrollably, and I loved it when he giggled. The cute little cheeky smile on his face makes the urge to kiss him even more stronger.  
I grabbed his face and squashed his cheeks playfully while sat on his lap, then a moment of silence happened when he all of a sudden stopped giggling, and looked into the depths of my eyes, studying me carefully for some unknown reason.  
Thankfully he then smiled slightly, still looking deep in my eyes he tilted his head to the side slightly, like a puppy would do for a treat. This made me giggle even more.

"You're so beautiful" he finally said.  
"Shut up you!" I teased.

I then pulled his face towards mine, closing the gap between us. His warm, soft lips caressed mine as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him backwards onto the sofa, deepening the kiss. He pulled away, with nothing but a gorgeous smile on his glowing face.

"Lets watch this film then" he said.

I agreed, and Richard pulled my head ever so softly onto his chest so I could hear his steady heartbeat. We scrolled through the films on Netflix, and eventually picked a film to watch. Richard then threw a leg over my hips and pulled me even further into his embrace and I shuddered with warmth and excitement.

Half way through the film, I started to get agitated. My head wasn't right, I was disoriented. This made me frustrated, because I couldn't concentrate on the film and the lovely time I was having with my boyfriend. I felt anger surge through me, and I slipped away from Richards grip, walking a fast pace towards the stairs. Richard was startled by this, and came running after me.

"Jess darling what's wrong?" He asked.

I didn't answer, and it's not because I didn't want to, it's because I couldn't. I just had a sudden inability to speak. I was majorly confused at this point, I had no idea what was going on.

"Jess?" He repeated as his hand closed around my arm, pulling me back, looking me straight in the eyes.  
I stared back, hoping for some sort of response to come out, but there was nothing.  
By this point I had started to feel extremely weak, my legs weren't far off failing on me. Suddenly, I lost all control, I grabbed onto Richard as my legs gave way, and he caught me.  
By now, the world turned black...


	2. "It'll be okay..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard raises concerns about Jess's illness to the doctors, and what they find out causes major distress to them both...
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter is Richards point of view *just so you ain't confused hihi xD*

I had woke up the next morning in fear when I saw Jess wasn't in bed next to me. After what happened last night, I've been nothing but worried, I have barely slept just thinking about what could be wrong with her, why that even happened in the first place. Was it her crash? I had no idea what to think, but either way, my precious girl is wounded. Her mind is spinning, and she doesn't know what to do. She must be so scared.

I practically leaped out of bed and raced downstairs to find her sleeping soundly on the sofa.  
"Oh thank god you're okay" I whispered, and I kneeled down next to her, kissing her forehead softly. She was burning hot, my lips tingled at the feel of her warmth. This was it, I had to get her to the doctors, this just wasn't right.  
I picked up the phone and made a call.

"So what's gone on then?"  
"She collapsed on me last night, practically passed out on me, she's sleeping on the sofa right now, clearly exhausted she's burning up too, I'm really very worried about her what should I do?"  
"Right, has anything like this ever happened before?"  
"Not that I know of no. But she had a crash a few months ago and supposed to be still recovering, I'm not sure but I have a bad feeling it's something to do with that"  
"Okay, don't worry, just bring her in and let's see what we can do, what was your name again sir?"  
"Richard Hammond, when shall I bring her?"  
"As soon as possible if you can Mr Hammond"  
"Okay, thank you for your help"  
"No problem, see you soon"

I put the phone down silently and started to shake with utter fear. I was awfully frightened for her, I hate to see my poor girl like this.

"Jess darling please wake up" I shook her gently and her face rose up slightly from the pillow, her eyes half open.  
"Oh... hiya" She tried to smile bless her.  
"We need to get you to the doctors, I've called up they want you there now" I said.  
"Oh, okay" she said sitting up.  
"Good girl, lets get some clothes on aye?"  
"Okay"

I took her hands and picked her up, carrying her upstairs she was drowsy and started to close her eyes again. I placed her on the bed and she woke up startled.  
"Oh sorry, sorry, I'll just go get some clothes" she stuttered.  
Before she could get up, I grabbed her arms.

"Wait dear, I'll get them for you it's okay"  
"But Richard..."  
"No. Jess you are ill darling, please let me help you, after last night I am nothing but worried about you right now"  
She sighed and breathed out a quiet "okay"

I felt relief knowing that she was finally willing to accept that maybe she wasn't okay, she came to her senses, but that still worried me, because she never accepts that she feels ill. This must be something bad.

I helped her get her clothes on and sat her in the car. Driving her to the doctors, she was drifting back to sleep again, and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't told James or Jeremy what was going on. Maybe they shouldn't know just yet, but they're her friends, they deserve to know surely? I couldn't make up my mind, but either way I just had to focus on Jess for the meantime.

I walked her to the deserted waiting room and she hobbled to a seat while I checked in for her. Soon enough we were able to see a doctor.  
I had to do most of the explaining, Jess really was too dazed and confused, and the Doctor seemed concerned. After doing some checks on her, she finally spoke.

"Right, I think maybe I need to refer her to hospital"  
"Why?"  
"Unfortunately, as a result of her crash last month, she is showing signs of some minor brain damage"  
"What?" Me and Jess said simultaneously.  
"When she was discharged, she would have been fine because she had been fully resting, my guess is, in Jess's case she has been stressed, is that correct?"  
"Yes, she has been"  
"Has she had any anger issues?"  
"Yes she has snapped at a few people over the past couple weeks"  
"When did she start going back to work after she had been discharged?"  
"About roughly two days after" Jess answered truthfully.  
"Your stress levels have increased your brain activity, and I'm afraid you increased your brain activity too early, while you were supposed to be resting, this has caused your brain to strain and work harder and as a result has caused some slight bleeding on the brain, which explains your dizziness and confusion, this will grow if not treated soon"

Me an Jess looked at each other in horror and disappointment.

"Okay" she answered, tears welling up in her eyes as well as mine.  
"It will be okay don't worry, as long as we just get you to hospital, you'll be alright" the doctor reassured her.

The atmosphere in the car was dismal and stark. Though she was exhausted, she managed to stay awake the whole trip to the hospital, but she was only awake because she was frightened.  
I pulled up into a parking space and Jess didn't move.

"Come on darling" I said, putting my hand on hers.  
She started to tear up again.  
"Baby, it will be okay, you heard the doctor"  
"But what if it isn't"  
"It will be, I promise sweetheart"  
I had tears running down my face, but I quickly wiped them away, I wanted to be strong for her.  
"Richard..."  
"Yes?"  
"I'm scared"  
I held her head in my hands, forehead on hers.  
"Don't worry baby, it'll be alright" I reassured her.

She smiled slightly, and we made our way to the hospital. She really wasn't okay, words could not describe how truly frightened I was for her. I replayed memories in my head, of Jess, smiling, laughing, just being herself. After checking in, I couldn't take seeing her like this.

"Just going to the toilet sweet back in a sec"  
"Okay darling"

I walked a fast pace to the toilet, closed the door behind me, and broke apart. Bitter tears rolled down my cheeks involuntarily. I just wanted her in my arms, well, perfectly fine, I didn't want her to be like this, it's unfair. I kept thinking the worst, I didn't want to but the thoughts kept surging through my head.

'Oh please, please be okay my love' I thought...


	3. "she will be okay"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess is still suffering badly from her minor brain damage, Richard is told everything will be okay, but will it?
> 
> *btw this chapter is majorly short, I do apologise*

After clearing myself up I emerged from the toilet and sat next to Jess in the waiting room. Her eyes were dark, her lips were blue and her face was pale.  
“you okay sweetheart” I asked.  
“It’s alright I’m just a bit cold that’s all”  
I then wrapped my arms round her and held her tight against my body.  
“Thank you” She smiled slightly.

After a few minutes more of waiting a nurse came out and called for us, so I helped Jess stand up and we made our way to the ward. Jess sat on the bed and lay down on her back instantly, she was truly exhausted. The doctor then came in and started asking a few simple questions, while the nurse was injecting Jess with antibiotics and hooking her up to a drip. She wasn’t prepared to answer the questions, she more or less was drifting in and out of consciousness.  
“she’s getting worse isn’t she?” I said to the doctor.  
“she will get better Richard, I can promise you that, I know it’s difficult not to worry, but she will be fine” he replied reassuringly.  
With that he left the room with a smile on his face, still trying to be reassuring.  
“she’s a fighter she is, she will get through it quicker than you think she will, I’m sure of it” The nurse said. “We just need to do some tests on her, see exactly what’s going on and then we’ll be on the road to recovery then” She smiled.  
“Thank you nurse” I smiled back as she walked out closing the curtain swiftly behind her.  
I sat quietly as Jess slept soundly, holding her hand warmly. I was tense, I was scared for her, how she must be feeling, what she must be experiencing, I cringed at the thought of it. No matter how reassuring the doctor and nurses were, I was still terrified.

Moments later the nurse came back to take her for tests.  
“I’m taking her now, do you want to say anything to her before she goes?” She said.  
Jess was still unconscious but I whispered to her “I’ll see you later sweetheart, be brave” as she went away. I was then left sat in the room, and I thought this would be a good time to tell her parents, James and Jeremy what’s going on.  
After being on the phone to her mom telling her what happened she told me that they are on holiday at the moment and won’t be able to make it for a while until they can get a plane back, so she told me to take good care of her and I agreed to do anything to make sure she was okay. With her parents reassured, I could now tell James and Jeremy. I decided to phone James and he agreed he would tell Jeremy himself to save me the trouble, he said that they will be on their way soon and I put the phone down when there was a knock at the door.  
“Mr Hammond?” The doctor said.  
“Yes?”  
“can I talk to you for a sec please?”  
My heart thumped out of my chest. ‘Please say it’s nothing bad’ I thought. I swallowed hard as the doctor began to talk...


	4. Complete Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess is given the results, and James and Jeremy pay her a visit...
> 
> *back to Jess's point of view now*

I was pretty much bewildered by what was going on. Thankfully I knew where I was, I knew I was in hospital, I knew I was ill. I was currently in a vast room with doctors and nurses running about, I had just said goodbye to Richard and was therefore still emotional and didn’t pay attention to what was going on around me. Nurses mumbled words to each other, the conversation too vague to know what they were on about.

“Okay Jess we’re going to put you through this machine now yeah?” The nurse said.

I could only mumble a slight ‘okay’ to her, it was like someone inside me was tearing me away from my ability to speak.

I was put through the machine and I was in there for only a few seconds. After bringing me out, I was left in the corner of the room for a while, as they were sorting out my results. I wanted to see Richard, I had only been here for a few minutes and was already missing him, it was hurtful enough to be physically painful.  
An hour later I was still within those four walls, as every minute went by, I could swear the room was getting smaller. My doctor then came to speak to me.

“Hello Jess how are you doing?”

“Okay I guess”

“Your results are fine I’m happy to say, since giving you the anti-inflammatory and painkillers the swelling seems to have gone down, but we still need to keep you here and keep examining you for the next few days to fully make sure that it doesn’t come back”

“Thank you so much”

“It’s okay, I’ve told Richard already, so you can come back to your room now anyway and see him”

“Okay, thanks again”

I was overjoyed, though the pain in my head had been reduced I will still feeling terrible, so it was difficult to show my happiness. I was taken back to my room where Richard was waiting and a big smile crept across his face, as did mine.

“I told you that you were going to be okay didn’t I?” He smiled and gave me a hug.

I wrapped my arms around him and embraced his wonderful scent, bending my head into the crook of his neck and smiling myself.

“I love you” I said, not really thinking about what I was saying.

“I love you too sweetheart” He replied holding me tighter.

Just then some familiar faces appeared from behind the curtain.

“Jeremy and James?” I stared, dazed and confused but a smile still pasted on my face.

“Hello dear!” James said before practically running to me and hugging me, Jeremy close behind.

“I didn’t know you guys were coming!” I giggled.

“Richard phoned us, of course we had to come and see you!” Jeremy explained.

Bearing in mind the state of confusion I was in before, it totally contrasts to how I was now, I just remembered not having a clue what was going on, but now it seemed I was back to my old self again now that my friends were here, I felt complete again, and I hadn’t felt like that in a long time.  
  
That night after Jeremy and James had left, me and Richard were settling in. I insisted that Richard was to sleep in the same bed as me, because I knew being in hospital I would be away from him most of the time if I needed to have tests of some sort, so I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible when I got the chance. I made as much space for Richard as I could, and he curled up to me, wrapping his arms around me tightly, as if he never wanted to let go.

“I’m so glad you’re okay” he said.

“Me too darling, lets hope I will be out of here soon aye?” I replied.

“Yes, I can’t wait to have you back home” He said, before kissing the back of my neck.

“Goodnight my dear”

“Goodnight sweet”


	5. Petty situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess finds herself in a difficult position tackling her emotions and sudden inquireies from the police about her mysterious mishaps of sudden stress and pressure after her crash when she went back to Top Gear...

After several days, I was pretty much getting bored of the same plain sights, and it angered me for some reason. I felt frustrated, and I was angry at myself for getting myself worked up about something so petty. Richard had been gone for too long. He was going out to get a few things and i asked for some specialty items for me, but all I asked for was a car magazine and some chocolate, and he was taking years to come back. He did as he usually does when he leaves while I'm asleep and put a note on my side table, saying he was going to get a few things.

I started to get increasingly agitated and asked the nurse if there was any way someone could contact him and tell him to come back, but they couldn't reach him. I was really very angry at him now, I didn't want to be, but I was. The nurse told me it's just when recovering from brain damage, emotions are difficult to maintain. She told me I should calm down and get some more sleep and he would be back soon, but knowing Richard wasn't here, I simply couldn't sleep.

Without anyone's presence, I was being left to my own independence, and I felt that i couldn't rely on myself to do something, not yet, so I tried my best to fall asleep in the end.

  
I woke up yet again, and Richard still wasn't there. I looked at the clock beside me, it was 5:33pm, I had only been asleep for half an hour. This time my anger came back even more sharp and temperamental than before, and I threw the TV remote across the room in frustration. I stared at the object, startled by what I did and why I even did that, it was all so ambiguous. I suddenly felt saddened and upset, the nurse was in fact correct, it was really difficult to control my emotions, I tried to stop tears streaming down my face but couldn't help it.

Suddenly the door opened, and Richard finally walked in, bringing a bouquet of flowers, my magazine and my chocolate.

"Oh you silly man, where the fuck have you been? I've been so worried why would you do that to me?" I was slightly surprised but also a sense of anger still lingered in my tone of voice.

"I'm sorry darling, there was so much traffic when I was coming back from the shops, no signal either I could call anyone to say I was on my way" he explained.

I was then slightly relieved, he had a valid reason, I could move on from this. Richard then presented the flowers to me.

"Richard they're beautiful, you shouldn't have" I gazed upon the bright variation of colours and sighed.

"I got them for you because you deserve them, they're nearly as pretty as you are!" He giggled.

"Where would I be without you?" I laughed and hugged him tightly.

"I don't know where would you be?" He joked.

  
For the rest of the night, Richard didn't leave my side. He was keen to obtain back the hours he had spent away from me. He felt bad, there's no doubt about that.

Jeremy and James then came later that day, also Andy the producer came to say hello. Jeremy lay a paper in front of me. The news of my brain damage had hit front pages. Many theories to what caused it were rumoured in several newspapers apparently, but somehow this one had the most definitive answer. They mentioned the crash I had a few months back, and linked it to why I was in hospital now, which was correct. But they also managed to notice how stressed I was in filming, and said that's what caused it.

"The big problem is, we are being criticised for putting too much pressure on you, we could get done for it" Andy explained.

"But it wasn't you guys? I was the one who decided to come back, I wasn't forced to" I explained.

"Exactly what we keep telling them, but they won't believe us" Jeremy said.

I sighed and threw the paper to the side in arrogance. Our own TV show could be under serious threat, and it's all because of my stupid decision to come back after only a few days of recovery. I felt stupid and awfully upset I had put my colleagues in this place.

"I'm sorry guys, it's my fault, I-I didn't mean to..." I stuttered, on the verge of tears.

"It's not your fault darling, don't worry we'll sort it" Richard placed a hand on my back and rubbed it reassuringly.

We then heard a knock at the door, and the police entered my room.

"Can we speak to Jess please? Privately if you may...?"

I looked at the others, the most terrifying look on my face. I nodded to signal them to go, Richard gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I pulled him forwards, intertwining our fingers together in the process.

"It's okay, I've got this" I whispered.

"I know you have, your my tough little baby girl you can do it" he said.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

He kissed my cheek again and slowly let our grip loosen as he walked out the door. I swallowed hard and prepared myself for a tough interrogation...


	6. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and Jess grow closer to each other, and they finally feel connection for the first time in weeks, and Jess' doctor has good news...

"I'm telling you for the last time, it was my idea to go back, they didn't force me"

I was struggling to get my point across to the stern and pompous officer, who seemed keen to put TopGear's name to shame.

"Well they're must have been something that drove you to go back, are they really demanding of you? Are they-" I stopped before he could go on, my frustration was rising intently.

"Stop, for gods sake stop, no way. No one in the TopGear team forced me to go back, I wanted to get back to reality after the crash as soon as possible, it's my fault I'm in this situation now, no one else's" I explained.  
  
"No even Richards?"

"Don't you even dare blame him!" I nearly screamed at him.

"Right, I think we've got to the bottom of this now, I have no more questions to ask you now Jess" He stood up and brush his suit down.

"Good" I mumbled slyly under my breath.

"Have a good day Miss" he said as he walked out with the other two police officers.

"Yeah, I'll fucking try now you've ruined my day" I said as they shut the door.

Richard then entered, I looked at him, tears in my eyes, clearly he knew the whole thing upset me, so he came and gave me a warm hug.

"Richard, I... he wouldn't stop... he kept going on... I couldn't take it anymore" I stuttered.

"It's okay don't worry, everything's fine I'm so proud of you darling" he said.

"I was so angry, he could sense it, that why he left in such a hurry"

"That's my feisty girl aye?" He laughed, and I chuckled with him.

  
That night, me, Jeremy, James, Andy and Richard spent our time discussing what we should do when we get back to work with Top Gear, a McDonalds at our laps (Richards tremendous idea obviously) Richards hand undoubtedly snaked its way to grasp my hand and hold it warmly. I felt a surge of adrenaline in me whenever he did that, it felt so good.

"I should be better soon guys, we should be able to start work straight away after I get out of here" I said.

"Have you learnt nothing from this darling?" Jeremy said.

"You need to rest before you do anything" James said also.

"Oh yeah, forgot sorry" I laughed.

"Well guys think it's about time we left these two lovebirds to it" Jeremy stood up, swiping his finger across the corner of his mouth to get rid of the ketchup.

"Lovebirds?" Richard exclaimed. His hand still intertwined with mine.

"You two are just the cutest" James cooed.

Richard then turned and looked at me dreamily in the eyes, smiling in agreement to James statement.

"Bye everyone, quick before they snog each other off" Jeremy moved swiftly out the door followed by Andy and James.

I giggled at Jeremy, still looking at Richard completely caught up in his hypnotising.

"Oh yeah I wanna ask you something" he said.

"And that is?" I became majorly curious.

"Darling I want to make sure I take care of you when you get out of here, and I want you to stay with me, not just for that period, I want you to stay with me forever"

"You're adorable"

"I know hehe. You're still up for moving in with me aren't you?"

"What?!".

"Oh god don't you remember?" he said.

"You asked me to move in with you?"

"Yes I did!"

"Oh my god please tell me I said yes" 

"You did say yes don't worry darling" 

"Good thank god, I love you so much you know that" 

"Of course I know that, I love you so much" 

I bent my head into the crook of his neck and breathed deeply.

"I'm so lucky to have you" I said looking into his eyes now.

"Well, I consider myself the luckiest man alive to have you" he replied.

I ran my fingers through his shaggy but short, recently trimmed hair, and moved it out of his eyes. The vividness and boldness of the brown in his eyes shone, and I felt like I was falling in love with him all over again. Without even thinking I kissed him and pulled back, he then eyed the weak spot on my neck.

"Don't you dare Richard" I started to giggled uncontrollably.

His cheeky smile grew and he grabbed both my arms, pinning me to the bed as his soft lips and tongue teased my neck. I wrapped my legs around him, and placed my hand on the back of his head, pulling him down on top of me further. He felt so good, he knew exactly where my weak spot was, and his skilful tactics made me fall for him, if he kissed my weak spot, I knew from then onwards I had no control.

He pulled back eventually, and kissed me tenderly on the lips.

"We better get some sleep now baby" he said.

"Yeah, cuddles?"

"Yes of course cuddles" he giggled.

I then snuck under the duvet as Richard changed into his nightwear, he then leaped in beside me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me into his embrace.

"You okay?" He asked sweetly.

"Never been better" I smiled as he played with my hair.

I couldn't pinpoint my emotions at that time. I felt good that he was here, but I also felt bad for him. How he was spending his hours, days and nights with me all the time. He barely slept, because I barely slept either, he would lie, and say he slept okay when he clearly had bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep. But through the day, I was his only stimulant, when he wasn't with me, he wouldn't get through the day, he tells me that all the time. When he's away filming for TopGear, he feels ever so deflated after the filming because he knows it will be hours, possibly days before he sees me again. So I guess it's a good thing he's here with me, but I still felt bad for him either way.

We woke up the next morning after only a few hours sleep, but despite that, it was the best sleep we have had in weeks.

Richards hair was ruffled, his eyes heavy, but not bloodshot this time, this made me so happy.

"So how are you this morning my darling?" I asked.

"Brilliant actually! And by the way, you look truly gorgeous this morning" he smiled sweetly and pulled me closer to him, his strong, agile hands on my waist.

"Oh how I love a sleepy hammond in the morning" I said as I kissed him deeply.

After a few hours, the doctor came in on mine and Richards conversation.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you?" He said.

"No no not at all please come in!" I said, gesturing him inside.

"I'm happy to tell you, that you can be discharged today Jess" he said.

"Really?!" I looked at Richard then back at the doctor, my mouth wide open in pure shock and excitement. Richard then placed his hand on mine and squeezed it tightly, clearly he was excited too.

"But they're are obviously a few precautions to take, please come with me..." 


	7. Discharged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess is finally discharged from the hospital, but feels bad for Richard running around after her, her doubts arise...
> 
> Sorry I'm taking an age to update this, have so many things on my mind! Follow my Tumblr and Wattpad for more @ thatdankhammondlover Requests are also accepted if you likeeee :)

Me and Richard followed the doctor into a private room. I felt slightly worried, I felt like is if I was going to be interrogated again like I was before. A surge of emotions then hit me, I was going to be given so much information on how to help me recover properly, and because I didn’t listen last time, there were going to be strict precautions. I hate being told what to do, it makes me feel so restricted. We sat down in front of the doctor and he shuffled some papers around before he spoke.

“So Jess you will be discharged today but of course there are some precautions that need to be discussed” He said.

I nodded and shuffled in my seat uncomfortably, Richard reached out to place his hand on mine for reassurance.

“Get plenty of rest at home of course, but going on short walks should be good for you to keep you active. I also strongly advise that you wait at least three weeks before going back to work, to gradually get your brain back into gear, I’ll give you some not too difficult problem solving tasks here on this sheet, do at least two of these a week, the difficultly does increase as it goes on, but this should help your brain process normally, so when you go back to work, your stress won’t get the better of you” He smiled as he explained.

“Okay, fully understand” I returned a smile taking several pieces of paper off him.

“And Richard here is presumably going to take care of you?” He asked.

“Yes I will, I’ll make sure she does what she needs to” Richard turned briefly to look at me and grinned.

“Brilliant, in that case, I don’t need to tell you much more” The doctor rose from his seat and shook our hands. “I wish the best in your recovery Jess” He smiled.

“Thank you doctor for everything, I really appreciate your help” I smiled.

Me and Richard walked out of the room hand in hand, and we shared a grin.

“You’re going to be fine, I’ll look after you” He said.

“I know you’ll look after me, you look after me all the time” I giggled.

He kissed my cheek tenderly before we came out the doors and made our way to the car.

“I packed our bags in here before so everything’s good to go” He said opening the car door for me to step inside.

“Such an angel” I cooed.

“I try” He smiled.

 

The journey was short and Richard treated me to a McDonalds breakfast on the way there, which I found so sweet. I was ushered into the house as Richard grabbed many bags from the car. We spent a few hours putting everything in its place, and Richard made countless trips to my house to get some stuff for me, I felt bad for him running around after me, and I had a fear that he may become tired of me. Afterwards we sat down on the sofa snuggled up watching a film, the fear still lingered as he began to yawn frequently.

“Richard, I’m sorry for being such a pain, I feel so guilty with you running around after me” I crocked, trying to hold back the tears.

“Hey, don’t be like that, I love you, and I will do anything to make you happy, and to make sure you get better, besides, when you get better, you’re going to be moving in officially, I asked you that question all those months ago because I want you here, and in a way, I want to run around after you” He smiled, holding my hands in his.

“You really mean that?” I asked.

“Of course I do” He whispered, leaning forwards and kissing me tenderly.

“I don’t deserve you” I smiled.

“Well…you’re kinda stuck with me because I would like to counter argue that you do deserve me” He giggled.

“You and your jokes” I laughed. “I love you”

“I love you too darling” He replied.


	8. Happy and Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard has been feeling distant from Jess during her recovery and wants to do anything he can to make it up to her, a picnic on their dog walk should do it surely?... 
> 
> *Richards point of view*

*2 weeks 4 days later*

Jess has been getting so much better, she’s been doing her mental arithmetic’s daily and has not once been stressed about anything. She’s had her rest, and we were due to go on another dog walk today. I hate to say it, but we were being quite distant. Back in hospital we got closer for the first time in weeks, and now I feel she’s sliding away from me again. She’s living with me and that’s the ironic thing, we haven’t been able to do the things we usually do seems as we need to concentrate on her recovery, but ever since that night she said she felt guilty about me running around after her, her mood has been on a down low. She says she will do things herself, she wants independence but she can’t have that until the 3 weeks are over, I hate to put her in that position, and it frustrates her, she thinks I’m being a slight pain in the arse, that’s why we’ve drifted apart. But it’s not her fault, she’s still recovering, we’ve had to restrict our patience running thin for the sake of both of us.

Seems as we had only a few more days before we needed to attend back to work, I wanted to make it up to her and make her happy again. So, on our dog walk today, I will surprise her with a picnic in the field while the dogs run around, to try and perk her up. While she was in the shower I packed a basket, and left it by the back door ready for when we go. I was so determined to make her happy again after all these weeks. I then made my way upstairs and sat on the bed, opposite the bathroom door. She eventually came out, her long wet hair slightly curled draped down her back, a towel wrapped around her body, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Darling” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. “I’m planning something special for you when we take the dogs out, no exceptions, I want to make you happy again”

“Richard that’s so sweet” She said, then she stepped back to face me. “But…”

“No buts, I feel bad for isolating you here, I haven’t seen you smile in weeks, I know I’ve been a pain to you recently, and I want to make it up to you” I explained.

Finally, she smiled.

“That’s the beautiful smile I was looking for! Now go get ready sweetheart, I’ll be downstairs waiting for you” I smiled at her and went downstairs.

 

I sat on the sofa, impatiently waiting for Jess to come down. I then heard her fumbling a bit then she came down the stairs. I turned my attention to the doorway and she appeared, I was taken aback by how truly beautiful she looked. For the past few weeks she’s been wearing her pyjamas and jogging bottoms, and now seeing her with her skinny jeans and leather jacket, converse on her feet, I was delighted to see her look so stunning, by just wearing some casual clothes.

“My gorgeous girl” I walked up to her and stared in awe.

“Stop you! Come on let’s take these guys out and see what your surprise is” She said ruffling the dogs around our feet.

 

Putting the dogs on their leads, and picking up the basket, we walked through the back gate through our usual route. We walked on, the brown dirt track now opening up to the field, we let the dogs off their leads and I set up the picnic, Jess now starting to question me.

“Richard what are you doing?” She asked intently. “Is this a… picnic?” Her face lightened up.

“Sure is, just for you” I smiled, opening the basket. “Let’s dig in!”

We sat while the dogs ran around wildly and we munched on sandwiches and other treats here and there, talking about when we first met and what dream cars we would like to own in the future.

“Do you remember, this was the exact spot we sat when we went on our first dog walk together?” I asked.

“Yes I do! We only knew each other a few weeks and you invited me round” She giggled.

“Hey I couldn’t help myself I needed to see that beautiful face of yours again” I giggled back.

“Oh, I didn’t want to ever leave you that day” She smiled as fond memories returned to her.

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to go” I smiled back at her.

“Then a few weeks after that you came around mine and we had a mini sleepover”

“God yes, the first time we ever cuddled up in bed together, it was at this point I seriously fell for you” I said, looking her deeply in the eyes.

“Yeah, me too” She smiled again.

There was a moment of silence while we thought about our time together back then, oh how I longed for that sort of connection with her again.

“We better get going then it’ll soon get dark” I said getting everything packed away.

Jess got the dogs on their leads again, and we walked back to the woodland trail leading back to our house. Suddenly, I felt Jess’s hand grasp mine, our fingers intertwined, she remembered when I did it on our first dog walk, what a sweetheart. More than that, I finally felt the connection I had been longing for, her hand in mine, it felt so sweet, and it made us both grin with happiness.

Reaching the house, we let the dogs go again and they trailed off to their beds for a sleep, while me and Jess slumped on the sofa together.

“Thank you Richard, for everything” She said.

“It is and always will be a pleasure” I replied squeezing her hand.

Suddenly she turned and sat on my lap, taking my face into her hands, she pulled me forwards and kissed me tenderly. My face was frozen with shock and surprise.

“Wow, I…I didn’t expect that” I giggled.

“Well, now I’m back to normal, I think you can expect a bit more of it now, seems as I love you so much” She smiled.

“Darling I love you too” I replied, kissing her back this time.

I felt elated. I finally had my baby girl back…


	9. Telling them...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess and the others return to Top Gear after her long three week recovery, it was then they decide to tell James and Jeremy about them moving in together, how will they take it?...

Finally, I could go back to work, to the place I belonged, my second home. I couldn’t wait to get started again, knowing I was fully recovered after going to a check-up appointment this afternoon. Me and Richard were to be going out of the door any second now, and a wave of excitement overwhelmed me. I hadn’t seen James or Jeremy since the hospital back when I was recovering, they called every now and then to see how I was doing, but I was more or less secluded and isolated in the house, I still had Richard though.

It was only when we were on our journey to work, where I realised I was also embarking on another adventure. I had agreed to move in with Richard after my three weeks of recovering were up, which means I will have to move all of my stuff, I had to sell my house, I still had yet to tell my parents, even James and Jeremy had no idea.

“Richard, you know the whole moving in thing, do you reckon we can go to my house today, pick up a few things and at the weekend we can continue with moving the whole lot?” I asked as he drove on.

“Yeah that’s a good idea, while you were recovering I cleared out some space in my room for you so you’ll be okay” He smiled, still keeping his eyes on the road.

“Thank you so much dear, I will have to sell my furniture and stuff I guess, or just flog it to my friends” I said, twiddling my fingers.

“Darling you know, I was thinking. Maybe we get our own place, move somewhere else nice?” He said.

“What? You’re prepared to do that? To give up your lovely home to go somewhere else?” I asked, bewildered by what he said.

“I have been thinking, I’ve been saving up for while, I thought we could get a place, a bit similar to mine but more in depth of the countryside if you know what I mean” He explained.

“Richard, that would be amazing!” I smiled.

“Now there, we can distribute our furniture between us and there will be no arguments!” He said cheerfully.

“Yeah, exept for that horrid dining room table you have, that is not coming with us” I said.

“Oh alright, it’s a bit tatty I guess” He giggled.

He reached his hand and placed it on my thigh after he changed gear, swirling circles with his thumb, I placed my hand on top of his as a return gesture and we smiled warmly at each other. I love Richard millions, but it was at that moment, I knew I had completely fallen in love with him and I had met my soulmate for life. I grinned and buried myself into the leather seat, my hand still on Richards.

“Do we tell James and Jeremy today then?” Richard asked.

“Yeah, I have no problem with that” I smiled.

 

We eventually trundled into the car park, and head towards the studio hand in hand. I was astounded to see they all threw a mini party for me, as I walked through the door the crew were there, as well as Jeremy and James. I threw my arms around them both and told them how much I missed them, nearly choking on my tears of happiness. They said they would continue the party in the pub after we had finished seems as we couldn’t drink before doing work. Me and Richard decided it would be then we would tell James and Jeremy about us moving in together, we didn’t want to cause a huge stir at work.

Going back was the best feeling, it was even better now than when I went back the first time because now I wasn’t stressed, I had rested and recovered fully. I had such a good time, we had a laugh, and now I was well again, Richard didn’t make too much of a fuss showing his affection to me, clearly stated by Jeremy beforehand when Richard pulled me back and kissed me slowly.

“Right you two spent the whole three weeks together and you decide to do that now” He laughed.

We blatantly ignored him and carried on, too caught up in the moment.

 

After we had finished our day of work, work meaning messing about and laughing too much, we headed down to the pub for a drink. The excitement in the depths of Richards heavenly brown eyes was clearly visible.

“You excited?” I asked him as we walked in through the doors.

“Excited and kinda scared” He giggled. “But it will be alright” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before we sat down.

Jeremy and James went up to the bar to order drinks and came back with their hands full in no time, me and Richard hadn’t even had time to prepare for what exactly we were going to say but we took a shot in the dark and went along with it. We were both terrified but excited to share the news.

“So guys we thought we would tell you first” I said, and I nodded in Richards direction when I had caught their attention.

“Me and Jess are moving in together, very soon actually” He smiled nervously.

James and Jeremy were thankfully elated and very happy for us.

“That’s wonderful! When did you ask her Richard?” James said.

“The day before she went to hospital, obviously, we hadn’t had any time to think about it while she was recovering” Richard replied. “But were going to buy our own place, somewhere a bit nearer to work and in the countryside”

“Wait, you’re both selling and buying another together?” Jeremy reiterated.

“Yeah, we wanted to buy our own special place, we both need a change I think” I said.

“Wow, I’m actually happy you two are moving forward” Jeremy smiled.

Me and Richard turned to each other and grinned happily, I placed my head on his chest and he held me tightly. We finished our drinks and went home that night, now having told the guys about us moving in, it was a huge weight lifted from our shoulders, apart from telling our parents of course which we will both have to do pretty soon. We drove through the night to my house to pick up as much as I could, all the necessities I will need until moving day. Clothes, electric devices, that sort of thing. I was packing all I needed into a bag in my bedroom, and felt a pair of nimble, strong hands on my waist, and I was spun round to suddenly face Richard.

“You okay?” He asked.

“I’m good, just these last few bits then we can go” I smiled.

“Are you okay with this?” He asked, knowing full well what he meant, I placed my hands on his face, and my forehead made contact with his.

“I am so happy, you have no idea Richard, this is all I want, to be with you, to sleep in the same bed with you every night, to wake up with you every morning. I could never be happier” I grinned, and Richard grinned back, his adorable, cheeky grin.

I kissed him tenderly on the lips and Richard instantly deepened it, laying me onto the bed, letting his hands roam around my body. He started to then trail kisses down my neck, and to my collarbone, making me shudder feeling his heavy breathing against my skin. He retracted and kissed my lips feverishly again, taking my bottom lip in-between his teeth. We stopped to catch our breath and smiled warmly.

“Let’s carry this on at home shall we?” He giggled.

“I agree Mr Hammond” I replied as I started packing the last couple of things I needed.

Soon we were on the road again, and the atmosphere in the car quickly changed from warm to hot when he placed his hand on my thigh, dangerously close to where he desperately wanted it to be. I squeezed his hand and tutted at him.

“So impatient…” I shook my head playfully.


	10. Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess and Richard 5 months on are finally moving into their own home together, and another surprise awaits them, a surprise that could change their lives forever...

*5 months later*

“Right, now I have to sort all this stuff out!” I huffed and sat beside the pile of my things barricading the front door.

“It’s been a long few weeks darling” Richard sat beside me and placed an arm around me.

“But Richard, I’ve waited too long for this day, I want to get it all done as soon as possible” I whined.

“Look, it’s late, lets order some pizza yeah? Get to bed, we can sort it all tomorrow” He smiled.

“Pizza? Richard you’re the best!” I hugged him tightly.

“I do aim to please” He giggled.

 

I stumbled into the living room and made myself comfortable while Richard ordered the pizza, I looked around the room scattered with furniture here and there, and smiled. I’m so glad we finally have our own place, or own sanctuary, where we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. We moved in only 4 days ago, so the place was a mess, but I couldn’t wait for the next few weeks to come, our home would be coming together very soon. Richard was the first to bring all of the things he needed, because his house was going to be given to the new inhabitants sooner than mine was. It took 2 whole days for Richards things to be here and nothing is even in its place yet, except the sofa, dining table and our bed. My stuff took a further 2 more days, the last of my stuff was in the hallway.

Richard then appeared at the doorway, looking terribly handsome. He was in his white shirt, his sleeves rolled up, he knew that was one of my weaknesses, the way his muscles flexed when he was picking up and moving stuff, oh lord. He was also in his skinny blue jeans and black shoes. He was still slightly sweaty from moving all the furniture, and he ran a hand through his mildly greasy hair, flashing me a heart-throbbing, charming smile. I leaped up from the sofa and wrapped my arms around his waist, my head resting on his chest, I could hear his rising heartbeat. I closed my eyes and breathed in his musky scent. Richard in return buried his head into the crook of my neck and took a deep breath, both of us resting tired and worn on each other.

“We’re here now, this is it” Richard said reassuringly.

“I’m so happy, seriously” I replied.

“I could never be happier either” I could feel him smiling.

I held him tighter and a few minutes later still holding each other, the doorbell rang.

“Yes, pizza time!” I skipped to the door excitedly.

 

For the rest of the night we feasted on pizza and talked a lot about what’s to come in the future with the house, Richard doing his dirty talk, being his cheeky self, he drives me mad for him. We lay on the sofa together and cuddled for a while, next thing I knew I drifted to sleep and woke up in his arms the next morning. Richard wasn’t quietly snoring like he usually does, he was peaceful, I could feel his light breath on the back of my neck. I didn’t need to look at him to know he looked beautiful. I sighed and placed my hand on his, closing my eyes again, Richard sensed this as he also let out a deep sigh and his strong arm around me tightened as he shifted slightly. We fell asleep for a few more hours and I woke again, but this time feeling ill. I quickly but carefully removed Richards arm and struggled out of his grasp, running to the toilet upstairs, I was sick. It must have been the pizza last night for sure, I think I ate too much. I shuffled to the sink and held my head in my hands, I also felt lightheaded and dizzy, this could not be the pizza, It couldn’t be. My brain frazzled thinking what it could be, so I decided to drop into the doctors a bit later, so I could get better and get the house sorted out sooner.

 _‘Oh please don’t be something to do with the accident’_ I thought.

I walked back into the living room and Richard was awake, sat on the sofa reading a newspaper, his glasses on the end of his nose. He looked up, concern on his face.

“You okay sweetheart?” He asked.

“Yeah, was just sick though, I feel terrible so I’m dropping by doctors later, you can make a start shifting this stuff so there’s no delay while I’m gone” I said.

“Are you sure you want to go on your own?” He asked.

“I’ll be fine Richard it surely can’t be something serious” I smiled the best I could.

“Alright, aw I do hope you’ll be better soon, I don’t like seeing my baby poorly” He said, coming over and hugging me.

“I’ll be fine darling!” I said.

 

I had made a call to the doctors about 15 minutes ago and they said I could go straight away, so I grabbed my coat, kissed Richard goodbye and set off. I walked into the waiting room after checking in, my head feeling heavy, my stomach feeling achy. I was called in, and I explained to the doctor what happened this morning, she smiled sweetly and reassured me.

“Right okay, I’m just going to do an ultrasound of your stomach, just to see if anything is there, won’t be a moment, be over in a flash” She smiled as I propped myself onto the bed and lay down.

She did various bits and bobs, then she proceeded with the ultrasound and her eyes widened as she looked at the screen.

“Just as I thought” She said.

“What, what’s going on?” I said, feeling slightly worried.

“Jess, you’re pregnant darling” She said.

My breath hitched in my throat.

“What? Let me see!” I said.

She turned the screen towards me and pointed to a small figure.

“There, that’s your baby!” She said excitedly.

“Wow, what I’m… I’m so confused but so happy, I had no idea!” I said, stuttering my words. “Oh my God, how will Richard react?” I said.

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled dear, I’m going to print this for you, so you can show him, and we’ll arrange another scan date for you!” She said walking out of the room briefly.

I stared at the screen, totally bewildered. I didn’t know what more to say, it felt like a dream, like it wasn’t real. Me and Richard have talked about children, having one maybe one day, I had no idea it would come this soon though. I walked out of the building and sat in my car, holding the picture in my hands. I smiled and giggled to myself, I was scared but excited all at the same time, this was so unexpected. I placed the picture on the passenger seat, wiping away my tears of joy, and I set off back home. I pulled up on the drive a few minutes later, grabbing the picture and placing it in my pocket carefully. I opened the front door, and saw Richard in the hallway, moving the last of my things.

“Hi sweetheart how did it go?” He smiled.

I stayed silent, and I couldn’t help but smile as I walked towards him slowly.

“What?” He giggled.

“Richard…” I said.

“What’s up, spill!” He said, the anticipation rising.

“I’m pregnant darling” I grinned.

Richards eyes widened just like mine did when I found out.

“What?!” The corners of his mouth raised higher. “Oh darling that’s brilliant!!” He hugged my tightly.

I was so relieved he took it well, even though I knew he would. We couldn’t stop smiling.

“Want to see?” I asked.

“You have a picture? Yes, yes let me see!” He said excitedly.

I pulled the image out of my pocket and he studied it carefully, his eyes starting to water.

“Gorgeous, just like their mum” He smiled and he put an arm around me, holding me close to him.

“Wow, we’ve moved in to our own house, and now we have a little one on the way” I grinned.

“I can’t wait” Richard looked me deep in the eyes and kissed me.

“Me neither…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading everyone, it's come to an end for now, this series has come so far! I also apologise that I stopped midway through this at some point, had writers block on this for a while, but now I'm really glad I've managed to finish it. :)  
> If you haven't already give me a follow on my Tumblr and Wattpad @ thatdankhammondlover for more fics, and drop me a request!   
> Once again thank you so much for reading and I hope this was a good ending to this series :)


End file.
